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Ontario Investing in Hospital Beds to Improve Access to Care

Renewed Support to Benefit Hospitals Across the Province

Ontario is investing in hospital beds to improve access to care for patients and reduce wait times in hospitals across the province.

Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, was at the Reactivation Care Centre, formerly the Humber River Hospital - Finch site, today to announce that the province will be renewing its ongoing support for hospitals to help meet the needs of communities across the province.

Last fall, Ontario provided support to hospitals to open an additional 1,200 beds, increasing capacity during a period of heightened demand. The province also invested in:

150 new transitional care beds at the Reactivation Care Centre and created space for additional acute care beds at Mackenzie Health

61 new mental health hospital beds

6 new long-term ventilation hospital beds.

Ontario is renewing this investment for 2018-19 to continue supporting hospitals by relieving the stress associated with increased demand, giving people greater access to high quality care, closer to home.

Ontario is also investing in more home and community care services and more long-term care beds across the province.

Increasing access to essential health services is part of Ontario's plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.

Quick Facts

Ontario will be providing ongoing support for hospitals and investing $187 million in 2018-19 to make more beds available across the province.

In 2017-18, the province invested $100 million to open more than 1,200 beds to increase capacity in hospitals in advance of the flu season.

In 2017-18, Ontario also provided 200 affordable housing units for seniors who need additional community supports when they are discharged from hospital, and created 578 transitional care spaces outside of hospital for up to 1,700 patients who don't require care in a hospital.

The province invested an additional $100 million in 2017-18 in home care supports and services.

Additional Resources

Quotes

“Last fall, we provided hospitals with much needed funding to help manage the increased demand for health care services. We recognize hospitals across the province need this ongoing support, which is why Ontario is committing $187 million to ensure patients and families can access health care services when and where they need it.”

Dr. Eric Hoskins

Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

“On behalf of Humber River Hospital, I would like to thank Minister Hoskins and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for their continued investment in support of the 1,200 beds that have been made available to alternate level of care (ALC) patients. This additional capacity supports a patient-centered approach allowing the delivery of the right level of care, to the right patient, in the right setting, benefitting both ALC patients and acute care patients. We look forward to continuing to work with the government on this important initiative moving forward.”

Barb Collins

President and CEO, Humber River Hospital

“The Ontario Hospital Association welcomes the renewal of the government’s surge strategy. This effort has been instrumental in helping hospitals manage extraordinary occupancy pressures this winter. To fundamentally address this challenge, over the next year it is essential to accelerate innovation and the creation of new models of care, further stabilize hospital operations and aggressively build new service capacity across all parts of Ontario’s health care system.”